New Friends Old Enemies
by ffreaderwriter
Summary: Felicity decided to escape the Arrow lair which has become all too crowded lately and go and visit an old friend in DC and makes some new ones along the way. Rating may change later if I remember.
1. Getting Away

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Diggle asked.

"Yes," Felicity answered, faking exasperation. "I'm just going to spend a few days with a friend of mine in D.C. I haven't seen her in a long time and she keeps bugging me to go see her."

"And you think some distance might help?" Diggle said, straight-faced.

"Yes, that, too." Felicity gave him a knowing smile. "I think it will be better for everyone."

"You're not being pushed out."

"And I'm not leaving - just going on vacation. Yes, I do actually go on vacations. I know who to call if I get into trouble. And thanks to a wonderful trainer I know, I can handle some things on my own."

"Can I at least drop you off at the train station?"

"Sure."

*************

Felicity spent most of the time on the train staring out the window lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even open her laptop. Wasn't completely sure why she even brought it. This was her opportunity to get away and she was determined to do that. She watched as the scenery changed from a cityscape to the rolling hills of the countryside and she felt her herself relax from the tension she hadn't even realized she had been holding. She had the car to herself and she enjoyed the quiet. Her eyes grew heavy as passed what looked like a small dairy farm.

**********

Felicity was jarred awake as the train came to a stop at the Amtrak Station in D.C. She grabbed her bags and headed towards the exit where she saw her friend, Abby, waving furiously. Upon reaching her she was enveloped in a massive hug. "Oh, I am so happy that you finally came out here to see me! Can't believe you actually agreed. This is going to be so much fun."

Felicity backed up for a moment. "Just how much coffee have you had this morning?"

"A little more than normal, but that's okay. You know that stuff is good for you," Abby said, grabbing a bag.

"Yes, but you don't need to take it intravenously," Felicity countered.

"And I haven't," Abby said showing her unblemished arms. "But you look like you could use some. Come on. I know a great place. You'll love it."

Felicity shook her head, a small laugh escaping her lips as she headed towards her friend's car.

Felicity shook her head, a small laugh escaping her lips as she headed towards her friend's car.

Felicity sat snuggled in a corner of a booth at the little shop named _Café Infusion_, in a very cushy brown leather rounded booth. The whole area gave off a feeling of casual comfort. There was a small stage in one corner where Felicity assumed might house the occasional open mike night. There were several booths around the perimeter of the building, all which looked appealing, as well as a long counter with chrome-plated stools that looked like they had been plucked right out of a 50s movie. It mixed the modern with the classic without the least hint of clashing or seeming pretentious. She could see why her friend liked the place.

"Okay, are you ready for what awaits you? This coffee is going to blow your mind," Abby said, putting a cup in front of her friend. She smiled as she took it. She had insisted on picking out the exact coffee combination, not even allowing Felicity near the counter when she ordered.

"We'll see about that." Felicity took one sip, noticing the leaf the barista had drawn on the top. Her eyes went wide.

"See, I knew you would like that." Abby nodded her head. "Bet they don't have something like that back in StarlingCity."

Felicity nodded her head and she drank some more of the heavenly liquid. "No, we don't have anything like this. What's in it?"

"Well, they won't tell me. Secret ingredients or something like that." Abby said waving her hand around. "Got pretty chatty with the barista, Mike, and even he won't tell me."

"They do call them secret ingredients for a reason," Felicity said.

"So, since I have finally managed to steal you away from Starling City - tell me, what is it like to be Oliver Queen's personal assistant?" Abby said glancing over her coffee cup.

"How did you know I was doing that now?"

"I am a reporter after all. I know how to find out things." Abby said smiling smugly. "A reporter never reveals her sources. I want details."

Felicity opened her mouth to try and make up something when they were thankfully interrupted by Abby's cell phone buzzing.

"Oh, shoot," Abby said as she read the text message. "I was so excited that you were finally coming over here that I completely spaced on the fact that I have a meeting that I have to get to, like right now." Grabbing her purse, she said. "I shouldn't be more than two hours and then I will have the rest of the day to spend with you. You explore if you want or… you remember where I live right?"

Felicity nodded as her friend continued. "I told Ed the doorman that you are coming. Thanks to my tech savvy friend I have one of those digital door lock thingies. The code is 1189. You going to be okay?"

"I'll be just fine. I can take care of myself."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me that one. I know."

Felicity watched as her friend hurried away. She decided to go and explore.


	2. Discovery

Felicity grabbed her bag, slipping the strap to her brown cross-body over her shoulder, carefully picking up her cup. She headed purposefully toward the door –just as she was about to reach it the waitress called out, "Thanks for coming." Felicity turned to thank her but was cut off by the swinging glass door coming inches from smacking her in the face as her drink was knocked from her hand.

Felicity stared down at the spilled drink. _Of course, this is the way her adventure would start. _ She sighed and was about to tell off whoever it was that was not looking where they were going. "Hey!" She said finally looking up to see a very mortified looking guy staring at her.

"I'm so sorry about that. I was not paying attention where I was going. Are you okay? Did I get anything on you?"

Suddenly flustered, Felicity mumbled, "Oh, no." Felicity said examining her clothes. "Seems like everything is fine. It landed on the floor, not on me."

"Here, let me get you another one." He motioned towards the counter.

"You don't have to. It's fine," Felicity said.

"It's the least I can do. Please."

"Okay, since you said please." Felicity smiled, feeling a slight blush cross her cheeks as she followed him towards the counter.

"So, what were you having?"

Felicity gave a small laugh. "I actually don't know. I'm here visiting a friend and she wanted me to come and try this place but she wanted to surprise me and she wouldn't even let me be near the counter when she was ordering it. So, I have no idea what it was."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you normally talk this fast or is it the caffeine?"

"I would love to blame this on the caffeine," Felicity said. "Maybe a little is the caffeine, but I have a tendency to talk fast and ramble, especially when I get nervous."

"Well, let me try to put you at ease. The name is Steve. What's yours?"

"Felicity." She put out her hand to shake his and noticed that he had a firm, but friendly handshake.

"Well, Felicity, what are we going to do about our problem here? I have to buy you something to drink."

"I say try something new."

"Okay, what'll it be?"

Felicity turned, studying the menu for a few moments. "I think I'll go with a Lemon Ginger Chai Tea. What about you?"

"I'm normally just a black coffee guy. But, need to try something new, right?"

"They say variety is the spice of life."

"Two Lemon Ginger Chai Teas please," Steve ordered.

"Have you ever had Chai Tea before?"

"Have no clue what it is." Steve laughed.

"I hope you don't hate it."

The waitress returned with the two teas, handing them over before returning to check on other customers.

"Would you like to go for a walk? I promise I won't hit you with the door this time," Steve asked.

"Sure. " Felicity smiled, following him to the door, which he promptly opened for her. "After you, ma'am."

"Why, thank you," Felicity said, suddenly feeling like she had taken a step back in time.

They headed off in the direction of the park. Felicity watched for a moment waiting for Steve to take a sip of his tea to watch his reaction. "Well, what do you think of the tea?"

"Well, it's definitely different than what I am used to. It's not bad. But, I think I am going to stick with my black coffee."

Felicity let out a small laugh. "So, where are you from? I'm just not used to being called 'ma'am' and having the door opened for me. I do appreciate it, just not used to it."

"Brooklyn."

Felicity turned and looked at him for a moment like one of those dogs with her head cocked to one side. "Okay, I was not expecting that answer."

"I was taught that people should have certain manners and opening a door for a lady was one of them."

Felicity just shook her head.

"So, Felicity, what brings you to D.C.?"

"Oh, I'm here visiting a friend." Felicity said. "Needed to get away for a bit from work, life, stuff in general."

Steve nodded. "What do you do?"

"Oh, I'm an IT girl." Felicity said the confused look on Steve's face and elaborated. "Information Technology. I fix computers and make sure they are running at peak efficiency or at least that is what I did until recently when I got a new title and a new position in the company—I'm sorry am I babbling again?"

"No, it's fine," Steve said smiling at her. Felicity had to admit she liked that smile.

"So, what's your new title and is that why you needed a break?" Steve asked. "Am I being too personal?"

"No, its fine," Felicity said smiling. "Executive assistant to C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated and yes, that is part of the reason I needed to leave. It's a bit complicated. What do you do?"

After a short pause, Steve answered. "I work for the government."

Felicity attention was drawn to a group of young boys that if she had to guess their age would be around eight years old standing near an older woman that was either a nanny or a grandmother. They were pointing in her direction and whispering amongst themselves. The older lady tried to shush the boys but was unsuccessful. She watched as Steve nodded towards the lady and one of the boys quickly ran over them. "Nana said I could get your autograph if I wasn't bothering you. Is that okay?"

"Sure thing, kid. Do you listen to your nana and do what she says?"

The boy nodded furiously. "Okay. What's your name?"

The boy produced a comic book from behind his back. "It's Ryan."

Steve signed the Captain America book handing it back to the little boy who looked amazed as he ran back to the group. "He signed it, Nana!"

Steve looked back and saw an odd expression on Felicity's face. "I can explain." She started laughing.

"So, you're…" Felicity managed to guess in between fits of laughter. "Out of all of D.C."

"Yeah," Steve said. "Are you okay?"

Felicity managed to get her laughing fit under control. "It's not you. It's me. I apparently have a type."

"You're not going to run screaming or try to get an autograph or ask weird questions?" Steve asked confused.

"No," Felicity said. "This does explain a few things though."

"Like what?" Steve asked still trying to wrap his head around her reaction.

"The manners and your confusion about technology," Felicity said. "That's okay. I am an IT girl after all."


	3. Chapter 3

Felicity tapped the numbers into the digital lock, and after hearing it click, she pushed it open. She spotted her friend tapping away at her laptop as she sat cross-legged on her couch. Felicity closed the door behind her and headed toward a small chair across from the couch.

Felicity couldn't keep a grin off her face. What was it about her life that she somehow attracted a certain type of man? What were the odds that out of all the people in D.C. that she could have run in to and she would run into Captain America? Felicity was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice that Abby had stopped typing and was staring at her.

"You met a guy." Felicity noticed that it came out as more of a statement than a question. "Oh my goodness! You met a guy! Oh, I passed a hottie going into the café right after I left. Was it him? "

Felicity's smile broadened.

"Felicity Meghan Smoak, you have been in D.C. for a matter of hours and you have already met one of the best looking guys I have seen in a very long time and I am guessing by your goofy grin you got his number. I have been here for five years and basically have squat to show for it. You are going to have to tell me your secret."

"Have him run into you when you are leaving and make him feel embarrassed and try to make up for it by buying you tea and taking you for a walk in the park."

Abby set the laptop to the side. "My article can wait for a bit. I need details. Now."

Felicity settled into the chair deeper. It had been so long since she had been able to have girl talk with anyone. She didn't realize how much she missed it until now. "His name is Steve. He's from Brooklyn and he works for the government."

"Is that all I am going to get?" Abby said, rolling her eyes. "Come on. I know you love to talk. Spit it out. This is D.C., everyone works for the government. Almost. What does he do?"

Felicity paused for a second. She couldn't say what she wanted to, which was _He saves the world for a living. _"He's a government contractor. He travels a lot with his job."

"Sounds intriguing, " Abby said. "Are you going to see him again?"

"I am going to have coffee at the café in the morning with him before he has to go to work."

"Oh, really?" Abby had a mischievous smirk on her face. Her laptop beeped, calling her attention back to it. "I have to finish this article up and then I want to know everything."

"I didn't get his life history. I just met him today."

"I don't care," Abby said, looking over the edge of her laptop. "When I am done you are not moving until you have told me step by step of what happened today. Like, does he have a brother?"

Felicity lazily opened her eyes as the sun streamed in between the cracks in the curtains. Yawning, she stretched out across the pullout couch, which was unbelievably comfortable. She opened her eyes wider as she took in her surroundings. She smiled at the thought that she didn't have any real agenda for the day. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened to her. The only thing she had was her breakfast date.

Felicity lingered on the word date. That was another thing she hadn't been able to do in a while due to how crazy things had gotten in her life over the past year. She raised her head as the smell of coffee wafted through the apartment.

Felicity glanced up at her friend making coffee, a pop tart hanging out of mouth. "What? We're not all lucky enough to have a breakfast date with tall, blonde, and handsome."

"Well, consider this payback for all those times in college all you had to do was practically walk up to a guy and say, "'Hi, my name is Abby,' and you would have them wrapped around your finger."

"Yeah, but all of those had a serious attention span problem."

Felicity just shook her head. "So, you're not going to tell me what you have in store for today?"

"Nope," Abby said, finishing off her pop tart. "You had better get going. Don't want to keep Prince Charming waiting. I'll meet you in an hour."

Felicity sat outside the café at one of the black wrought iron tables. She positioned herself where she could see almost fully in both directions. She smiled at her new found reconnaissance skills. She sipped on her mocha as she waited patiently. She imagined Steve to be an early riser, so she didn't expect him to be late to their 8 o'clock meeting, but she had wanted to get there early. Luckily, she had. She saw him approach and waved as he took a seat next to hers. She extended a coffee cup towards him. "Straight black. I thought we would stay within your comfort zone today."

"Thanks," Steve said taking a sip. "Yeah, that's what I'm used to."

"What's that?" Steve said pointing to a small, open white bag sitting in the center of the table.

"Blueberry scones." Felicity said. "Try one. I got them for both of us. I had to go ahead and sample before you got here. You know just to make sure that they were made okay."

Steve laughed, reaching into the bag. "Did they pass the test?"

"They are wonderful."

Steve took bite. "It's really good!"

"So, does your friend mind me taking up your vacation time?" Steve asked.

"No, she was practically pushing me out the door this morning," Felicity said, taking another bite of scone. "I'm so busy with my work that I hardly have time for much else."

Steve laughed. "Sounds like my friend Natasha."

"So, did you bring that new fangled contraption with you this morning?" Felicity asked smiling.

"Yes, I did," Steve said producing the cell phone. "I'm still mystified how this is all possible, but I'll settle on knowing how to use it." He handed the device over to Felicity.

"Okay, you know how to turn it on?"

"Yes, I know that much."

Felicity was just about to start her tech lesson when a very fit looking woman with striking red hair jogged up next to the table. The woman wore a solid black, skin-hugging workout suit that had a bright red stripe up the side. Felicity saw Steve smile at her and she felt something akin to jealousy. She scolded herself for that. She had no idea who this person was.

"Hi, Steve. Was coming by to check on you and let you know we are wanted in thirty minutes." Natasha smiled. "I see you have company and a phone."

"Yes, this is Felicity Smoak and she was about to try and explain how to operate that thing." Steve said motioning towards her. " She is going to explain it nicely without getting annoyed at me for being slow with technology."

"Well, you should at least introduce me."

"Felicity, this is my friend, Natasha. The one who is constantly trying to get me out into the world."

Felicity extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Natasha said, before turning back to Steve. "We really do have to go."

"See you later," Steve said as Felicity handed his phone back.

Felicity smiled as she saw Natasha nudge Steve as they jogged off together.

Felicity's phone buzzed. It displayed Diggle. "Hey, John, you don't need to check up on me. I've only been gone one day and I'm doing fine."

"I know, but I still wanted to call and check in."

"How are things going there?"

"Well, right now Oliver is having a staring contest with the coffee machine. I think he is trying to see who will blink first."

Felicity couldn't help but let out a laugh. "How are things going with the rest of the stuff?"

"Pretty quiet so far. Did you send out a memo to all the bad guys letting them know they had better behave while you were gone?"

"Yep, I guess they got my arrow signal I sent out." Felicity said. "You should probably step in before Oliver has to buy a new coffee machine. Thanks for calling and checking on me."

"Anytime."

Felicity hung up the phone as her friend approached. "Are you going to tell me what we are doing?"

"We are going to have fun. I have a feeling you haven't done that in a while."

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorite/ or followed. I really appreciate.


	4. Chapter 4

As Natasha walked through the sliding glass door onto Steve's deck, she could hear the baseball announcer on the radio. "It's a high fly ball toward center field. Will it make it all the way? Yes, it's a home run!"

She spied Steve sitting in a chair, his-now-considered-antique radio nearby, listening intently to the play-by-play announcer. "You know you can watch that on T.V."

"Yeah, but it just doesn't have the same feel," Steve said. "You get to experience the game better this way. You can feel the excitement or disappointment when you hear it in the announcer's voice. Still can't believe _my_ Dodgers left Brooklyn. Who am I supposed to cheer for now, the _Yankees_?"

"Well, you can either still root for the Dodgers or pick a new team," Natasha said. "New things aren't always bad."

"Yeah, I was told recently that variety was the spice of life," Steve replied.

"Was that your new friend, Felicity?" Natasha asked lightly as she sat in a neighboring lounge chair.

"I have the feeling you didn't come over here to discuss baseball," Steve said.

"No, but you'll need to let me which team you picked," Natasha said. "It's Felicity."

"You did research on her didn't you?" Steve turned down the game.

"Well, somebody has to look out for you," Natasha returned.

"And what did you find?" Steve asked, ignoring the comment.

Natasha grabbed a handful of peanuts from a nearby jar, popping a few in her mouth. "I know why she was unfazed and didn't ask any questions when she found out who you were."

"Why is that?" Steve asked.

"Well, do you remember a report that came out a little while back about this vigilante character called 'The Arrow'?"

"Yeah, vaguely," Steve said.

"Do you remember where it said he was?" Natasha grabbed another handful of nuts.

"Starling City?" Steve asked, having a feeling he knew where she was going with this.

"You are correct. The same city Felicity is from. She is not only IT girl and assistant to the CEO, Oliver Queen, she is also IT girl and assistant to the masked vigilante, Oliver Queen."

"Have you told Fury about this?" Steve asked, knowing the man would probably not be too happy.

"Not yet," Natasha said. "I'm sure he'll find out sooner or later. I was going to see how things were going to play out first. See if I needed to or not."

Steve sighed. He could see an argument in the near future. Another thought hit him "Did you find anything else out about her and Oliver?"

"Do you mean if they are a couple or not? Not sure. You'd have to ask her yourself." Natasha pointed inside the apartment. "Why don't you use that fancy gadget in there that Felicity showed you how to use and call her?"

Felicity plopped down on Abby's couch, exhausted but happy. She couldn't remember when she'd had a day like today. Her friend tossed her a water bottle. Felicity caught it, leaning back against the couch and putting the cool bottle to her forehead as she closed her eyes. She had forgotten how much energy it took to keep up with her whirlwind of a friend. A buzzing from her purse brought her back to reality as she went digging for her phone. "Hi, Steve. I'm fine, just a little tired. Everything okay with you? No, I'm not busy right now. You know where the Greystone Apartments are? Great. There's a back garden area. I'll meet you down there in twenty minutes."

"Steve again?" Abby asked with a smirk. "I just may have gotten something started here. If this works out between the two of you, I'm taking full credit. So, what does he want?"

"He wants to talk," Felicity said, slipping her phone back in her purse.

"Just can't stay away from you, huh?"

The question was answered by a pillow narrowly missing Abby's head as she ducked out of the way.

Felicity walked out into the crisp night air and followed the brick sidewalk behind the apartment to the communal garden area. She glanced up as she walked under the green arbor that welcomed people to the lush area. A small water feature in one corner held a small koi pond with plants encircling the area. Small plants of various shapes and sizes lined the entire garden area. Soft lighting illuminated the center of the area leaving the entrance and the corners to the shadows. She headed to a group of wrought iron tables in the center of the garden. She wasn't seated very long at all before Steve showed up.

"So, I see you figured out how to use that cell phone," Felicity teased lightly. "What is it that you needed to tell me in person? Not that I mind the company."

"Well, I needed to ask you something and I thought it would be better face to face," Steve said hesitantly.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Felicity asked, straightening in her chair.

"I know about how you help Oliver in and out of the office."

Felicity immediately pictured men in dark suits and sunglasses dragging her off to a no name hole in the wall place reserved for people who poked their nose into too many things that they didn't need to. She tried hard to not show the sudden onset of panic.

I need to know right now if you and Oliver are together. I'm not about to take someone else's girl."

Felicity sat there stunned as she blinked several times trying to regain her composure. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. As her mind caught up with what she had just heard._ He thinks I'm his girl._"

"Felicity, are you okay?" Steve asked concern and confusion evident in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I expected that to happen at some point, considering who you are and some random person just runs into you. You need to know who they are. Oliver definitely believes in researching people or having me research people. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Steve said. "You didn't answer my question."

"Are Oliver and I a couple? No, no, no," Felicity said waving her hands in front of her. "I mean, I'm not going to lie and say that I haven't enjoyed viewing his workouts. But, no we are not a couple. That's the main reason I came to D.C. To get away from all the hero stuff for a while. It's gotten a little awkward now that his supposed dead girlfriend is very much not dead. Which I am happy about. The fact that she's not dead, I mean. But I needed some breathing room. That's why I thought it was so funny that the one thing I was trying to get away from I run smack dab into." Felicity smiled. "So, I'm your girl?"

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but movement at the entranceway caught their attention. Felicity couldn't quite make out the figure, due to the poor lighting, but could instantly tell that Steve could as she watched his whole body stiffen. "Get behind me."

The tone in Steve's voice left no room for questioning. She had heard that same tone in Oliver's voice enough times to know not to. She stood and quickly did as she was told.

"What are you doing here?" she heard Steve ask harshly.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I don't want to hurt anybody. "Felicity immediately knew that voice, popping her head out form around Steve's shoulder. "Sara?"

"You know her?" Steve turned around, shocked.

Felicity moved out into full view. She could clearly see Sara now that she had taken a few steps closer. "Yes, she's my friend."

"How are you friends with someone from the League of Assassins?" Steve asked, taking a step away from Felicity.

"That's a bit of a long story. It's okay," Felicity said trying to assure Steve. "We are all on the same side. She's not here to hurt anybody are you?" Felicity asked Sara.

"No, I don't want any trouble from you or your redheaded friend back here," Sara said, holding her hands up. "I just need to talk to Felicity."

Natasha walked up behind beside Sara.

"You were watching us?" Steve asked Natasha. "She didn't pop up on your research?"

"I told you that someone needs to look after you. Looks like it was a good idea that I did," Natasha said. "All we had on her was your sketch."

"But, _this_ is the long lost girlfriend, Sara Lance." Felicity gently placed her hand on Steve's arm. "I trust her with my life." Felicity saw Steve relax ever so slightly.

"What do you need to tell me? You can go ahead and say it in front of them. They know. They found out on their own," Felicity said.

"Oliver probably won't be too happy, but we could probably use the help," Sara said to Felicity before turning her attention to Steve. "Oh, and sorry about Morocco."

Felicity saw Steve tense once again. "I promise she's with the good guys now. You don't have to trust her. You just have to trust me. I have not lied to you. I have told you what I could. Some stories are not mine to tell."

Steve finally sat back down as Sara sat, followed by Natasha. An uneasy silence settled around them before Felicity asked, "So, what is so important that Oliver sent you out here instead of just calling?"

"Slade Wilson."

"Who's that?" Steve asked.

"He's a psychopath from the island who is determined to kill Oliver and destroy everyone he cares about."

"So, Oliver sent you to check on me?" Felicity asked.

"That and to let you know that you need to come back to Starling City."

"What makes this guy worse than the other ones we've dealt with?" Felicity asked.

"He knows everything about Oliver and everyone associated with him. He is determined to make Oliver pay because he blames Oliver for the death of a woman he loved. The main problem with taking down Slade is that he was given the Mirakuru while on the island."

"What is the Mirakuru?" Steve asked.

Sara stared straight at Steve as she answered. "It was Japan's answer to the Super Soldier serum. We found it on an abandoned Japanese vessel that was shipwrecked on the island."

"I thought all of that was destroyed a long time ago," Steve said, looking over at Natasha.

"It has long been suspected that the Germans had shared information with the Japanese about the formula. We just didn't have enough evidence to go looking for it," Natasha said. A wounded look crossed Steve's face.

"You had so many other things to deal with." Natasha said. The decision was made not to bother you with that one."

"Is there anyone else?" Steve asked. "Is there more of this Mirakuru laying around?"

"No, Oliver and I destroyed it," Sarah replied. "Slade is trying to develop his own personal army of super soldiers loyal only to him by synthesizing his blood," Sara said.

"And there is one more." Felicity spoke up. "Roy. He was given the Mirakuru when he was kidnapped. Roy is Thea Queen's boyfriend. Thea's is Oliver's sister. Roy is not handling it too well. He's having some anger issues."

"We have a friend with anger issues, too," Natasha said.

"He's not that bad, is he?" Steve asked, turning his attention to Felicity.

"I don't know. Who's your friend?" Felicity asked.

"Never mind," Steve said. "We have to stop him."


	5. Chapter 5

"She should've called by now!" Oliver growled as he paced back and forth. "I'm sure they're fine," Diggle said calmly. "Wearing a hole in the concrete is not going to make that phone ring any faster." "You don't know that," Oliver said, swiftly turning to face the older man. "Slade promised to destroy everything and everyone that I cared about. If anything happened to her because of me, I—" The buzzing of his phone cut off his rant. He punched the button to answer it, putting it on speaker so Diggle could hear as well. "Have you found Felicity?" "Yes, she's upstairs right now packing up her stuff," Sara answered briefly. Oliver knew Sara well enough to know that there was something else. "What's else is there?" Sarah sighed. She wasn't too happy about this arrangement and she know Oliver wouldn't be either. "Felicity has made some new friends while she was here." "What kind of new friends?" "The kind that work for a secret government agency that knows about you and the Mirakuru." Oliver cursed in Russian. "What do they want?" Too many people were getting involved in his problems. "They're coming along." Sara said concisely. "No!" Oliver insisted. "I don't care who they work for or what they know. There are too many people involved in this already. I don't need or want anyone else coming. Are they there with you? Just get Felicity and get out." "Oliver, they are coming with or without us," Sara said.

"How did they find out everything?" Oliver asked.

"They found out on their own," Sara answered. "My guess would be that Natasha's curiosity was peaked over Steve's sudden new friend. Given the resources she has access to, it wouldn't be too hard for her to find out exactly who Felicity is and what she does."

Oliver gripped the phone tighter. He felt like throwing it across the room, but knew that wouldn't help the situation any. He tried taking a deep breath. He needed more information. He needed to remain calm.

"Who is this Natasha?" Oliver asked. "Who does she work for? What are we getting into?"

"Natasha Romanoff. She's …"

"Wait—Romanoff," Oliver cut in. "Is she Bratva?"

"Don't know for sure on that one. That's your area." Sara answered. "I haven't actually faced her before. Just heard stories. If what I have heard is true; she's very good at what she does."

"Which is?"

"Getting rid of problems," Sara said. "But, I did hear that she switched and is now with the good guys."

"And this Steve guy?"

"He's definitely with the good guys. Fought against him while I was with the League. He was sitting with Felicity in the garden area behind her friend's apartment and from the body language I would definitely say that Felicity has a new friend."

Oliver drew another deep breath. He didn't like not having any options. He knew how to make the best of a bad situation. "Do you see them as an asset or a liability?"

"Well, frankly we could use all the help we could get to take down Slade."

"Fine. Bring them by the club." Oliver said hanging up the call.

Sara looked up to see Felicity approaching. "You call Oliver and let him know what's going on? How'd he take it?"

"He's not too happy about it."

"Tell me what's new."

* * *

Oliver looked over at Diggle. "How does Felicity manage in the span of two days to get entangled with operatives from a secret government operation that know all about me and Mirakuru?"

"Maybe it wasn't by chance that she met them." Diggle shrugged.

"You think I'm being set up?" Oliver asked. "You think they work for Slade? You heard what Sara said about them."

"I know how tricky the shadowy parts of the government can be. Wouldn't put anything past someone like Waller. " Diggle said. "I'm just saying you need to be on the lookout. Don't be distracted by the fact that Felicity has a new friend."

Oliver glared at Diggle for a moment. "We need to get prepared for our new guests."

* * *

Oliver staked out a corner of the bar where he could survey the entirety of the club. He didn't like the feeling of not knowing what he was dealing with. The best way to handle an opponent was to know exactly what you're dealing with. These people already knew about him. Without Felicity, he couldn't dig up dirt like he wanted to. He wasn't going to use his Bratva connection unless he had to. He scanned the room there were a lot of people here that could get in the way if Felicity's new friends turned out to be not too friendly. That could also work to his advantage. They might not want to pull something off with a lot of witnesses. He felt like a coil waiting to spring, every fiber on edge.

* * *

"Hey, man. I think I'll have another drink." The customer's words slurred together.

"I think you have had enough," Roy said sharply.

"You can't tell me when I have had enough," the man said, standing within a few inches of Roy. "I'm done when I say I'm done." He punctuated the sentence with a shove.

Roy snorted like a raging bull, his fingers clenching into a tight fist. He started to bring it quickly toward the man's face. An outstretched hand stopped the impending impact.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Steve said, as Roy's eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Roy asked as Steve turned his arm behind his back.

"Keeping you from making a mistake." Steve glanced over at Felicity. "You said Oliver's over there in the corner?"

"Yeah, right over there."

* * *

"Oliver, did you see that?" Diggle asked.

"Yeah, he just manhandled Roy like it didn't even matter," Oliver responded, shocked.

"How did he do that?"

"Not exactly sure," Oliver said, standing to greet the new guests.

* * *

"I'm guessing he works for you," Steve said, letting go of Roy's arm.

"Well, technically Roy is employed here by my sister," Oliver said. "But, yes he also works with me."

"Ah, well I should have realized that," Steve said. "Sorry about that. Just didn't think it would be a good idea for you to punch a customer even if they deserved it."

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea," Oliver said, glancing at Roy before turning his attention back to Steve. "You have me at a disadvantage. You know about me but I haven't been introduced to you. Felicity?"

"Oh, well this is…"

"Steve Rogers is the name. Some people just call me Cap." Steve extended his hand. "Felicity said that you normally weren't too open to getting help."

"She did, did she? What else did she say?" Oliver pasted an annoyed smile on his face.

"You don't need to be mad at Felicity. She didn't do anything wrong or divulge any information that she didn't need to. When you are in our business you can't be too careful with who your friends are and Natasha was just a little curious."

"What exactly is your business?" Oliver asked.

Steve paused for a moment, confused. "You don't know?"

Diggle stepped forward. "You said people call you Cap? You're not actually…?"

"Yes, and I think it would be better if we continued this conversation in a more private environment."

* * *

A wicked grin crossed Slade's face as he watched the monitor displaying the interior of Verdant. "So, kid you have some new players on the field. This looks to be interesting."


End file.
